CLINIC: You can declare income if you would like, and I can let you know if you’d qualify for a discount.

CALLER: Well, I don’t have a job. Like I’ll be –

CLINIC: What are you living off of then?

CALLER: Huh?

CLINIC: What are you living off of? How are you supported?

CALLER: I live with my parents. I’ll be 14 in March, so.

CLINIC: Okay. Can you hold on just a second?

CALLER: Yeah.

CLINIC: Thanks. (pause)

CLINIC: (new person comes to the phone). Hi. Thanks for holding. I can help you. And you said you were 14, is that correct?

CALLER: Well, I’ll be 14 in March.

CLINIC: Okay. And are your parents aware that this is going to take place?

CALLER: Well, no. They can’t find out because like the problem is like my boyfriend’s 22, and we’re going to get married and everything, but they can’t find out because they hate my boyfriend. They think he’s too old for me.

CLINIC: Well, why can’t you get married and have the baby?

CALLER: Well, because we have to –

CLINIC: Like go out of state or something?

CALLER: Well, I don’t know. We just haven’t had a chance to do that yet.

CLINIC: Okay. What are you going to do as far as this judicial bypass goes? That’s what I’m concerned about too because you have to have judge’s permission which is fine. You can get judge’s permission. You have to come to Iowa City and I have to give you another number in which to do that because you go in front of a judge and then he grants permission for you to have an abortion without your parents finding out. My problem is, is that if I were you — and this is just strictly off the record — if I were you I would not say anything about your boyfriend being 22 years old.

CALLER: Okay.

CLINIC: I would be concerned that because he is and because you’re almost 14, that there may be some repercussions there.

CALLER: What do you mean? Like what?

CLINIC: Like they would say, you know, it’s against the law for 22-year-olds to have intercourse with 13, 14-year-olds.

CALLER: But we’re in love. I don’t understand. Like we’re going to get married.

CLINIC: I know. I totally understand. But it’s like the LAW says it’s against the law. You know? I think it’s — I mean, who cares, you know, how old anybody is? That’s my own personal feeling, but the LAW in the state of Iowa says that anybody over 21, over 18 actually can be prosecuted for having intercourse with someone who is under 18.

CALLER: What? I don’t understand. I’ve never heard that before.

CLINIC: Yes.

CALLER: Okay. Well, what can I do?

CLINIC: So –

CALLER: Just go to the judge and –

CLINIC: When you go to this place, you know, you can talk to them. It’s United Action For Youth. They’re really good. Where are you located?

CALLER: I’m in Parnel.

CLINIC: Okay. You’re going to — I’m going to give you this number. This is what you’re going to do. I’m going to give you this number, and you’re going to talk to a woman named Ginny. Can you write this down? You have some place you can write this down?

CALLER: Yeah.

CLINIC: Okay. Her name is Ginny, G-I-N-N-Y.

CALLER: Okay.

CLINIC: And the place you’re going to call is United Action For Youth.

CALLER: United Action for Youth?

CLINIC: Correct. Or UAY is what it’s known by.

CALLER: Okay.

CLINIC: Okay, and once you talk, and what you want to talk to Ginny about is, judicial bypass.

CLINIC: Now you can explain it to Ginny, and Ginny is really good, and she talks to young people all the time. And she can help you to facilitate this I would think.

CALLER: Okay.

CLINIC: But tell her that, you know, you guys are in love, you’re going to eventually get married, but right now if your parents found out that you were pregnant by him that maybe something bad would happen because they hate him.

CALLER: Yeah.

CLINIC: So that’s our main concern is you.

CALLER: Okay. So you guys don’t have to tell anybody?

CLINIC: We do not have to tell anybody. The state of Iowa does not have to tell anybody if you go in front of this judge and you say to the judge, you know, I’m in school. Also, I want to tell you what you have to kind of say to the judge. You have to say, I’m in school, Your Honor. I want to continue with school. I’m involved in activities at school. I make pretty good grades. You have to kind of let him know that you are, you know, an intelligent young woman and that you have, the reason that you’re wanting this abortion is not an hysterical reason. You know what I mean?

CALLER: Yeah.

CLINIC: That it’s something that you’ve thought about and that you really feel it’s in your and the baby’s best interest.

CALLER: Yeah. I’ve thought about it. I mean –

CLINIC: Totally.

CALLER: Yeah.

CLINIC: Well, that’s what you just want to tell him when you go in front of him. But Ginny will help you with all those things too. And then when was your last period? How far along do you estimate that you are pregnant?

CALLER: Well, like my last period was like the first week in December.

CLINIC: And was that a normal period for you?

CALLER: Yeah.

CLINIC: Okay. So you just didn’t have a period in January.

CALLER: Right.

CLINIC: And then you haven’t had one in February; is that correct?

CALLER: Right. Not yet.

CLINIC: And do you know the exact date that you had your period in December, or was it just the first week sometime?

CALLER: It was like around the, like the 5th.

CLINIC: And that’s the day it might have started. Is that correct?

CALLER: Yeah.

CLINIC: Okay. We need to see you by the end of the month obviously. We are next scheduling appointments for next Wednesday.

CALLER: Okay.

CLINIC: Which happens to be the 20th.

CALLER: Okay.

CLINIC: And we’re also seeing patients on the 27th which is a Wednesday, and then March the 2nd which is a Saturday, and that might be an easier day for you to do. But I just want you to know that I would be a little bit concerned because we’ve got to make sure that you’re within the 13 weeks in order to be eligible for this.

CALLER: Okay. Well, I would have to call my boyfriend to see when he can get off work.

CLINIC: Okay. Did you write those dates down?

CALLER: Yeah.

CLINIC: Okay, the 20th, 27th and then March the 2nd.

CALLER: Okay.

CLINIC: And I think you would still be eligible on all those days from what you’re telling me as the first day of your last period being the 5th of December. Correct?

CALLER: Well, yeah. Well, so it’s possible that I’m not pregnant do you think?

CLINIC: No. I’m sure it’s not possible.

CALLER: Oh. Well –

CLINIC: Have you had a positive pregnancy test?

CALLER: Well, I took one over the weekend. It was positive. But I don’t know.

CLINIC: Yeah. I’m sure. I’m sure it is.

CALLER: Oh.

CLINIC: I’m sure it is.

CALLER: Well, like do you guys do pregnancy tests there?

CLINIC: We do.

CALLER: Okay. Would you have to tell anybody about that?

CLINIC: Oh, absolutely not. We don’t tell anybody about anything.

CALLER: Okay.

CLINIC: And we could also do an ultrasound to determine how far along you are.

CALLER: Oh.

CLINIC: Do you think you could come tomorrow? Do you want to check with your boyfriend?

CALLER: Yeah.

CLINIC: Okay. Call back. We’re here until 5:00. And you don’t have to necessarily talk to me. My name is Jill, but you can just tell whoever answers that you want to schedule a pregnancy test and an ultrasound for tomorrow, and they’ll go ahead and schedule it for you.

CALLER: Okay. Like my boyfriend was also wanting to know if we could get birth control too.

CLINIC: Absolutely. We will do all of those things for you.

CALLER: Okay. And you guys don’t have to tell anybody at all if I was pregnant?

CLINIC: Absolutely no one at all, and you will pay cash for this if you have this abortion, and there is no paper trail.

CALLER: Okay.

CLINIC: Okay? And then, let me give you this number of United Action for Youth.

CALLER: Okay.

CLINIC: Because you got to start that ball rolling. It is, and they do not have a toll-free number, so it’s going to cost you some money. It’s 319-338-7518. And you call there right now.

CALLER: Okay. Thanks.

CLINIC: All right. Thanks for calling. Bye bye.

CALLER: Bye.

(phone clicks)

***THE END***

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